Monday, March 24, 2014

Shadowboxer Baby

DIY Shadow Box Delight & Dwell

This is probably one of my most prized possessions. In November 2012 (two days before my birthday) we lost my buddy to lymphoma. He was the sweetest dog and he loved me unconditionally for all of his 11 years on this earth.

Anyone who owns and loves a special dog can understand the pain of this loss. Thank God our vet was amazing through this time. They also offered a special service where they make a clay paw print keepsake for the owners. It is a cherished memento, but it took a year and a half for me to be able to look at it without crying!

I knew I eventually wanted it to be part of our gallery wall. I found a 6"x 6" shadow box at Michael's (here) that was perfect for it, but I didn't like the black velvet backing.

I decided to cover it with quilting fabric I found at JoAnn's (similar here, here and here).

I cut the fabric to the size of the shadow box backing, leaving excess fabric to hot glue to the back:

The next step was important because we needed an adhesive that was strong enough to hold the clay. I was not going risk damaging the paw print since it is irreplaceable.

My husband had a tube of Construction Adhesive that would prevent it from ever moving again. Once used it is permanent! We used PL 375 Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive (here) on the back of the clay paw print and glued it to the fabric/shadow box backing.

We let it dry overnight before framing and hanging it on the wall. Here is the end result:

Paw Print Shadow Box Delight & Dwell

I absolutely love it and I am so grateful to our vet for Chim-Po's paw print. It's such a special way to memorialize our four-legged member of the family! Now I smile every time I see it.